Pre-Sale on Black Friday

Reminder from my e-mail:

"Don't forget, we're going to give you the opportunity to purchase tickets at a very special price - an amazing $209.50 (plus service charges) - this Friday, November 26. Luckily for you and your sleep schedule, our ticket sale begins at 12/noon Eastern Standard Time and doesn't involve a coupon of any kind.

After that first allotment of pre-sale tickets is gone, we'll continue to offer tickets at a great value of $224.50 (plus service charges)."

I'll be there ;)

I Actually Got in the Fountain This Year

One more thing before I call it a night...

I actually got in the Centeroo fountain this year, and it felt. like. HEAVEN. Luckily, I got in on that Thursday and it hadn't turned brown yet. I'm the one in the red Champs shirt above. Below is a video on Bonnaroo's YouTube. No, I'm not in it.

Was Dave a Little Weird for Anyone Else?

Dave Matthews Band is one of my favorite bands of all time, and when I remember seeing him before, I remember it being epic - so of course I looked forward to them closing out this year's festival.

"Shake Me Like a Monkey" was a highlight for me, even though it's off the new album. It was a little disappointing they didn't play more of the stuff everyone knows. Personally, amongst a crowd like Bonnaroo where maybe everyone isn't a huge DMB fan that's on top of everything the band's done lately, I would have thought they would have made the show more accessible.

David and Justin didn't like it, I could tell, and I think that affected my opinion of the show. I tried to be off in my own little world as I danced to the music, but everyone leaving also had me a little distracted.

Also, it kind of seemed like Dave was super high or drunk or something.

How about that -"shake your sexy ass" breakdown he came up with out of no where? That was entertaining.

Anyway, we left right after the show and we were all kind of tired and cranky so that might have had some effect on how I felt about what I'd just seen. I'm curious - what did everyone else think?

Langhorne Slim Was a Surprise

He wasn't exactly on my priorities list, but we ended up seeing Langhorne Slim on Sunday. Justin's idea. We enjoyed the show, but took things easy and even took a nap at one point. It was the beginning of what was sure to be a long day.

That doesn't mean the guy can't hold his own though. He rocked the house. The proof is in the pudding. Thank God for Bonnaroo's YouTube page.

Local Natives from Afar

I stuck around This Tent to catch Here We Go Magic's "Fangela" and couldn't find the boys when I arrived at That for Local Natives.

I loved the album but was for some reason not that pumped to see them. In any event, I did lay out a blanket in the lawn and enjoyed the show. This for me was when Bonnaroo 2010 really started picking up.

The show was high energy and the music sounded great. I couldn't see much from my vantage point being that there are no screens at This or That or Other (or Which for that matter), but it was a great time anyway. I was reminded me how much I really did like heir album... And the guys were even funny between shows.

I'll give their live show a 4.5/5 for good measure. The self titled album is also amazing.

Here We Go Again

...I mean Magic.

Beatle Bob was off just a bit. Anyway, the first band we saw this year was The Entrance Band - but I won't even dignify them with a post. Really we only started with them to get a good seat for Here We Go Magic, otherwise I would have seen Fanfarlo instead.

I wasn't sure how the low-fi sound was going to translate live. I wasn't 100 percent satisfied but it was a pretty good show. One of the girls looked like an ex coworker of mine so that was a little distracting.

David and Justin left early to get a good spot for Local Natives, but I stuck around to hear "Fangela" which I am obsessed with at the moment. For one, it's about a vampire. Second, I think the band has a sound similar to Simon and Garfunkel plus a lot of potential.

On a scale of 1 to 5, Ill give their show a 3.5, but their album a 4.

Check them out. I'll add pix tomorrow.

Lots more posts this weekend

I swear I'm going to blog more about Bonnaroo this weekend.

Epic Birthday Experience

This girl was luckyyyy!

Shows I Saw 2010

I will rate these later and do a countdown of the best shows, but for now, these are the bands I was lucky enough to catch at this year's festival:

Thursday

The Entrance Band

Here We Go Magic

Local Natives

Neon Indian

Friday

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave.

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Damien Marley & Nas

She & Him

The National

Tenacious D

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers

The Flaming Lips ft. Star Death & White Dwarfs

Kid Cudi (for a song or two)

LCD Soundsystem

Saturday

Langhorne Slim

Brandi Carlile

Norah Jones

The Avett Brothers

The Dead Weather

Stevie Wonder

Jay-Z

Sunday

Ingrid Michaelson

Calexico

John Butler Trio

John Fogerty

Dropkick Murphys

Phoenix

Dave Matthews Band

Bonnaroo 2010 Multimedia

I'm trying to compile a list of places you can find photos and video from this year's Bonnaroo, but I haven't even been through everything myself so this will be a running list.

• Bonnaroo Flickr
• Flickr search for "Bonnaroo"
• Bonnaroo Group on Flickr
• Camp Inforoo Flickr group
• Bonnaroo Official YouTube
• NPR Streaming Concerts from Bonnaroo 2010
• Pitchfork Photos from Bonnaroo 2010
• Pitchfork Videos from Bonnaroo 2010

Also, Linda from Splendid Communications contacted me with a link to a Wheat Thins Crunch Den video below. Thought I'd share, even though I never made it into the Crunch Den like I'd planned, it looks pretty cool in the vid, which gives you a nice look at the farm.

If anyone else has anything else they'd like to share, feel free to contact me.

I'm Back!

We left the farm around 1 a.m. this morning after the Dave Matthews Band closed out Bonnaroo 2010 and got home around 7:30 a.m.

After we got showered up (it felt ohhh so good) David and I took a nap, and then I started processing digital photos. Walgreens has my film, so tomorrow when I go pick it up we'll see how that little experiment with. I'm not counting on anything.

I can't believe how late it is already and am in no mood to go to work tomorrow, so I'll have to make sure I get to bed at a decent time.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

See more photos on my Facebook or Photobucket.

Getting Ready to Leave for the Farm

Tomorrow is my daddy's birthday, so I went with him to the doctor this morning and then took him out for a fish sandwich and ice cream for lunch. I also bought a new cell phone. Too bad it's on backorder, or I could have taken it with me to Bonnaroo! (8-megapixel camera and with flash and all)

I spent the rest of the day packing up, and now I'm chilling on the couch in the wonderful AC with my kitties. In about an hour I'll take a nap, then get up just in time to get everything into the car, take one last shower and hit the road around midnight.

I get excited every year to go to the farm, but things I am not looking forward to include not enjoying my air conditioner or my comfy bed, not being around my kitty bitties, and most of all having to use porto potties. I survived last year and will again, but I don't look forward to it.

Anyway, the coundown is just about over. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Manchester!!

Camp Flag

The boys came up with the idea, I made the flag. If you see us, come by and introduce yourself!

Catching up

So I didn't realize how much I needed to do before going on vacation, so I kind of slipped on the countdown I had planned. Here's playing catch up, and then we'll get to the real stuff before we leave tomorrow night.

5. Centeroo Eats - Many people take their own food in coolers and eat at their campsites throughout the weekend. We packed food last year, but were camped so far from Centeroo we lived on backpack snacks and didn't miss a minute of music. We weren't that hungry because it was so hot, and ended up buying one meal a day from the vendors. We ate pizza, quesadillas, and a grilled veggie burrito, but my favorite was tofu stir fry at the no-waste Planet Roo Cafe. This year, I'm packing snacks, but planning on getting my one meal per day in Centeroo. What's your favorite thing to eat at Bonnaroo?

4. Mudhole at Girl Talk and the Raptor - Because of the rain, mud was a bit of a problem in some places in Centeroo last year. One guy, I don't know what he was on, dove into the mud early Friday and was walking around making raptor sounds. I wasn't quick enough to get a photo but I saw on Inforoo that this guy does the same thing every year. With all the rain in the forecast, he could be out in full force this year. That night, we arrived at the Girl Talk show late and saw a gap in the crowd. As we walked toward it, we realized there was a giant mud pit there. Apparently no one else realized it, because we watched person after person faceplant in the poop-mud. It was hilarious.

3. Relaxing in the Sun - It's important to remember to pace yourself at these festivals. Don't be afraid to find a comfy spot at a show and lay back and relax. That's what we did during Bon Iver last year, and it was nice. One thing though - don't forget to reapply sunscreen because that hot Tennessee sun will scorch your skin if you don't. My shoulders will probably never fully recover.

2. The Decemberists - That show was my highlight last year. I don't have a whole lot else to say, but I wanted to share that.

1. Skanky Hair Sunday - There are supposed to be $7 showers available to festivalgoers, but we never saw any last year. We used a trailer full of sinks to wash up, but they were so small there is no way I could have washed my hair, but I did get to freshen up each day, which was nice. My hair did get gross by the end of the weekend but I just tied it up and it didn't bother me like it bothers some other people. Does not having access to a shower for four days freak you out?

6 Days to Go: View from the Ferris Wheel

David is deathly afraid of heights, but after we got in a small tiff after Bruuuuuce last year, I got him to go on the Ferris Wheel to make it up to me. Normally, Bonnaroo isn't the fighting type of atmosphere but we were hot and hungry and worn out after three days of not pacing ourselves very well.

The ferris wheel was one of my goals last year, so I was excited to check it off my list. Plus, it made for stunning photos.

We rode with a couple who I think were in the ferris wheel for reasons other than the view. They asked us if we "were cool," which I thought we were - but I think David's hesitance turned them off. Anyway, the view of all the stages and lights was pretty cool. Too bad my camera phone is crappy.

So David will never go on it again, but I think Justin wants to, so if I'm around when that happens I'll take my second trip this year. I can hardly wait!

7 Days to Go: Weather Fun

There are 7 days left in my Bonnaroo countdown and I'm reminiscing about last year in prep for this year. One thing on my mind, it's been storming a lot lately.

Nashville flooded weeks ago as you know, and although Manchester was spared the mess Nashville got, the Weather.com 10-day forecast isn't showing great things for Thursday and Friday, June 10-11, this year. The good news - Saturday's supposed to be sunny. Although I'm keeping my fingers crossed, we should be prepared for a repeat of last year. Just in case.

Maybe that half naked guy covered in mud acting like a raptor will be back. One can only hope.

Last year the weather wasn't bad when we left the house at 6 a.m. on Thursday. It still wasn't that bad when we got to Manchester around noon, but it started looking pretty blah as the afternoon wore on, as did the line.

Here we are, under a dreary sky thinking the line was drawing to a close. I think we still had an hour or two left at this point, but much better than the total 8+ hours we waited to get in. This year we're leaving at midnight - or as soon as it turns Thursday, June 10 - to cut that down a little. I'd like to settle in and not miss an awesome opening day.

So that day, we got in just in time to put our tent up in the dark, in BFE (Camp Andrew Clark - hey, that rhymes), and then it started sprinkling. As we walked toward Centeroo, we heard screaming and saw a wall of water coming at us just in time to duck under a not-yet-functioning misting tent along Main Street. I came prepared, as did a couple of volunteers on a Gator that passed David a poncho. Here I am keeping dry.

Passion Pit was the first show I saw that night, and my first ever at Bonnaroo, and it was FABULOUS. The rain wasn't ideal, but it sure didn't ruin anything, and that's what I'm thinking going into this year. It would be awesome if the forecast changed or the weather was wrong and we got a four-day partly sunny weekend, but if not, it'll still be the utopia I know and love - just a little more wet.

Listening to the iPod

Lying in bed listening to my iPod and singing quietly (badly) as David reads. Just tryin out a new blog app...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Got a Spiffy New Header, Countdown

I made a spiffy new header. It finally matches the Bonnaroo site again.

Also, I haven't posted much this season, and I regret that. It's not that I haven't been into it, it's just that I've just been going along for the ride this time and not doing as much planning. Starting tomorrow, I'm counting down the 7 days till Bonnaroo by recalling 7 memories that stick out the most from last year (my first year at Bonnaroo) with photos. I will focus on one per day leading up to the big moment!

7. Rain and the Line That Would Never End

6. View from the Top: Bonnaroo Ferris Wheel

5. Centeroo Eats: Love That Planet Roo No-Waste Cafe

4. Mud Hole and the Raptor at Girl Talk

3. Relaxing in the Sun: Bon Iver

2. Here Come the Heat Waves: The Decemberists

1. Skanky Hair Sunday

I hope that will do.

Packing list, tips for first timers and more to come!

Plenty of photos and posting to come after this year's festival! Stay tuned during the festival too... I've been experimenting with new more efficient ways to liveblog the event.

My Tentative Schedule

I made my schedule with this year's new and improved Zoltaroo Mind Reader application. Then I went and edited it some. Here's my latest:

http://mindreader.bonnaroo.com/grid.html?c=ZN57iVAI

Tye-Dye Fashion 2010

I bought some wifebeaters from Wal-Mart and tye-dyed them this evening in preparation for Bonnaroo. They are soaking right now, and in the morning I can wash them and see how they turned out.

Tye-dye is super fun for a festival like this, as well as thin, breathable cotton undershirts when its 100 degrees outside. Last year, I wore a plain white one and really thought it worked well in the blazing hot Tennessee sun. Good thing I wasn't wearing it when it rained though. ;) This year, I plan to be a tad more stylish with it, while reaping the many comfort benefits.

Wow. Me, my Carrollton shorts, a tye-dyed wifebeater and imitation crocs are going to be a hit. I can't wait.

A New Favorite Band: The Avett Brothers

It was my choice last week on Music Togetherness, and I wanted to get to know The Avett Brothers a little better. I'm glad I did, because now I know at least one more show I won't stand to miss.

It was kind of a fitting choice because the band was playing Coachella the weekend I blogged their intro post.

The folk-rock band from Concord, North Carolina stole my heart and got me in the mood for some bluegrass/country exploration. See, I've never much been into country, although I've always had a thing for the fiddle, banjo and cute boys with southern accents - now, I'm seeing the light.

What gets me more than anything is their versatility, their tendency to always stay true to themselves and the emotion and authenticity they put into their music. We focused on four albums (the latter three mostly) - "Mignonette," "Four Thieves Gone," "Emotionalism" and "I and Love and You" - and all were solid (though I've yet to rate them if you want to get specific.

My favorite tracks of the week include "Paranoia in B-flat Major," "Distraction #74," "The Weight of Lies," "Laundry Room," "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" and "Slight Figure of Speech."

I cannot wait to see these guys live. If you want a glimpse, check out their Vevo page for some cool video, including this one:

Tenacious D will Rock My Socks Off

The dynamic duo of screen actor-funny man Jack Black and the amazingly-talented-but-looks-nothing-like-a-rockstar-should Kyle Gass is going to make for one can't miss for me at Bonnaroo this year.

I became a hard core D fan in high school when the first, self-titled CD came out and shortly there after purchased the self-titled TV series on DVD. It was six hilarious shorts featuring many of the songs we know and love today, and I couldn't get enough. For my 18th birthday, my best friend bought us tickets to go see a live show at the Pageant in St. Louis, but I fell ill that day and she ended up having to take her then-boyfriend instead. Boo. Since then, I've been dying to get what's coming to me - Tenacious D live and a damn good time - and it's coming this summer.

So the music isn't lifechanging, and many might argue that the band does not deserve its spot so high on the lineup, but Jack and Kyle are no musical slouches. Kyle's kind of a bad @$$ on guitar and Jack's actually got a great voice. Together, their songs are undoubtedly silly, but musically sound, and this should be one show festivalgoers won't soon forget.

Upcoming Bonnaroo artists on MT blog

I know I haven't written about anyone but DMB and the Flaming Lips and there are just more than two months to go. Convenient right? Two of the artists my friends and I have already featured on Music Togetherness?

Well, this is about when I plan to hit it hard.

I'm just about through going over the lineup as it is today and placing artists in 4 tiers according to how badly I want to see them - 1 being can't miss and 4 being I probably will miss.

I'm going to hit a few more on the blog in the weeks coming up - but make sure you check over at MT blog because The Avett Brothers week and The National are both coming up on our calendar.

testing 1-2-3

Just set up my phone for mobile blogging. Watch out Bonnaroo 2010!

Bonnaroo has returned to my dreams

I haven't written about the 'roo in awhile, as you can see, but a quick trip back to Inforoo yesterday, the first or second since all the Neil Young rumors way back when, lit a spark under my butt. With 64 days and 22 hours to go until the big event, I am, once again, pumped as all hell.

Something must have stuck because I dreamt about the farm last night. I don't remember what happened in the dream but I remember a few details.

1. It wasn't the farm as I remembered it. My boyfriend set up our tent to the left of What Stage (I'm talking really close to What Stage) and my only concern was whether I would be able to sleep at all because of the music being so loud there (why was that a concern? I'm not totally sure.)

2. My married friends (a couple), who would never go to Bonnaroo in the first place, brought a tent the size of the Which Stage, and my roommate forgot to bring a tent altogether. We decided she would sleep under the canopy.

3. There was a lake on the farm, which I decided to dive into, only when I hit the water it wasn't so much water as it was a giant mud puddle and I came up looking like that guy who thought he was a raptor from the '09 fest, thinking "oh great, now I get to feel like this for four days."

Oh the joys of the farm...

Quick note

It's Dave Matthews week on Music Togetherness.

Check it out and see how non-Dave fans react ;)

The Flaming Lips to Perform "Dark Side of the Moon"

It's almost been a month since Lips frontman Wayne Coyne revealed to Spinner that he and the band would be at Bonnaroo 2010 playing a late night set of their own stuff (including new release "Embryonic") and then covering Pink Floyd's legendary "Dark Side of the Moon."

I'm listening to the "Money" cover as I write this, via Grooveshark. I'm not sure it's my bag, but The Flaming Lips have definitely put their own trippy twist on an old classic, that's for sure. I have a feeling, though, that regardless of how I end up feel about the covers, the Lips' Bonnaroo set will be one not to miss.

David saw their 2007 set, during the soundcheck for which they came out and played Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" as a special treat for everyone who came early for a good spot.

The Flaming Lips' live show, on top of being a circus of tangible happiness, is special to me, because it was the setting for the moment I realized I loved my boyfriend, as cheesy as that may be. I had gone to see them at the Pageant with two of my fellow roo'ers only knowing about two songs, one of which was Oklahoma's state rock song, "Do You Realize?" Among the people wearing Santa costumes and antennae, it would have been easy to feel out of place, but I was in my own little world enjoying it moment my moment. Suddenly, "Do You Realize" hit and the cannons on stage blasted us with confetti - I was instantly overwhelmed with love as I squeezed David's hand and grinned ear to ear. It was hands down one of the happiest moments of my life.

Since the show, I've come away a big fan, and even chose the Lips as one of my first weeks of study on Music Togetherness. (Check the list under "Artists Covered" to see what everyone thought.)

Here is a playlist with some of my favorite tracks:

Dave Matthews Band is headlining Bonnaroo

and I love it.

It's no secret that the Dave Matthews Band is my second favorite band of all time (after The Beatles), so it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm ecstatic they are headlining Bonnaroo 2010.

There are a lot of people (including myself) complaining about the lack of a "wow" factor artist playing this year, but what I can say about DMB as a headliner is thank god there will be no one opposing. (I think my heart would break if they played at the same time as the Lips, which I don't think would happen but you never know).

I first was introduced to the Virginia-native band as a young girl (think "Under the Table and Dreaming") whose best friend's older sister was a dedicated Dave fan. In high school, the guy I dated worshipped Dave and allowed me to purchase the albums only if I did so in the order that they originally came out. I'm not sure if it was an impression set upon me or if I would have fallen in love with the band eventually on my own, but my interest just stuck.

I got through "Everyday" just as "Busted Stuff" was being released, and I loved every album through that one. It was then that I saw DMB live at what used to be Riverport Ampitheater (now Verizon Wireless), an experience I'd never forget.

After that, though, things dropped off a bit. I got really into Dave Matthew's solo release, "Some Devil," but I just couldn't bring myself to listen to "Stand Up." It reminded me of "Everyday" and "Before These Crowded Streets" mixed and muted, but it didn't strike a chord with me. I fell off and became a bad fan.

Luckily, DMB has renewed itself and my interest in them with their latest release, the Grammy-nominated "Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King," and I couldn't be more excited to see them at 'roo.

You know what they say, you may have seen the band live, but you've never "seen" the band until they've played at Bonnaroo. And seeing that this band has roots at the Tennessee fest, I can't wait for what's in store.

2010 Playlist

One of the Inforooers put together a playlist with songs from all the initial 2010 artists.

I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

(Sorry if the load is slow.

Thanks to Grooveshark user NTellier85 for the playlist!)

P.S. This is the part where I start posting about individual bands that are appearing there, so I'll embed songs or playlists with those as well, if you stay tuned.

More surprises?

Bonnaroo's Twitter has been promising more surprises today.

At first, I thought it would be good PR to notice that more than 50 percent of the talk about the lineup is negative and make another large announcement. Neil Young maybe?

After Alex Young from CoS came on Inforoo and apologized for being wrong about several artists, it appears the site removed all of the artists that were "expected" except those that were not released officially, but had announced themselves that they would be at Bonnaroo 2010. Those bands, and Neil Young, who is the only unlinked artist. My thinking is that after being wrong about the others, they would have at least moved him to rumored unless they have a good reason to believe he will be added later. If he was a late add, or if they're still ironing out details, it could be plausible.

Now their account says "Faithful followers: Momma Nature is kicking NYC's @$ & our internet is down. Today's surprises have sadly been postponed. Sorry!" (posted at about 3:45 p.m.)

All the waiting... sheesh. And it probably won't be anything awesome now. :( If it was an artist addition one would think they'd drop it on Twitter or MySpace or FB like yesterday. That would probably be best for their public relations efforts right now anyway.

Moving ahead, I am trying to go on with life and let whatever happens happen but it's hard to keep focus. I'm going to have fun regardless, I'm sure, and I keep telling myself it can only get better.

Now that things have calmed down...

I think we jumped the gun on the 2010 initial lineup being "lame."

It's easy to jump on the bandwagon when two of your fellow festivalgoers are disenchanted with the headliners, when the message board you're reading is filled with negativity and when you have spent weeks reading amazing rumors and quasi-confirmations only to be handed a Stevie Wonder announcement at the end of an 8-hour wait.

1. Only 90+ artists have been announced so far this year, while there were 148 that played last year (not including comics). If the festival keeps growing, as has been the trend in past years, we're looking at 50+ additions.

2. While Paul Simon is no longer rumored, Neil Young remains on CoS's "expected" list with a bunch of acts that have confirmed their appearances themselves, but were not included in the site's official initial lineup. While CoS has apologized for being wrong about Neil, it appears they're not totally convinced themselves. They haven't taken it down despite numerous page updates. This, along with #3, leads me to believe he is still a possibility.

3. The "confirmation" on Inforoo was hearsay - but it was posted on/around Feb. 4 saying that Neil Young had just agreed to Bonnaroo a day or so earlier. If Neil was a late add, it is possible he will be announced later. One reason for the lineup being pushed back from Feb. 2 to Feb. 9? If so, why wasn't he included?

4. In 2009, we left the Beastie Boys early, missed both Phish sets, and I listened to Bruce Springsteen from the ground, sleepy after a long day. While it would be awesome to have more big acts - it appears the undercard is why I went last year anyway. Plus, Dave Matthews Band being a headliner means no Flaming Lips conflict, and Laura can die a happy woman.

5. The 8-hour long wait made it seem like we were going to get something amazing, but in reality was probably only there to generate conversation, which it did, and very successfully I might add. Good or bad, people are definitely still talking about it. During the release, the festival accounted for at least two trending topics on Twitter.

6. David and I went back and counted the acts we would have liked to have seen from 2007, 2008 and 2009, and surprisingly, 2010 is stacking up nicely. Without exploring any new bands at all, there are already 24 acts from the initial 2010 lineup I'd like to see versus the 21 I wanted to see in 2009's full roster (whether I got to or not), and I thought that was a great year.

I'm looking forward to the additions as much as anyone. I don't know when they might come, but someone on Inforoo noted that the MySpace animation clock is stuck on 2:55 (2/11), so maybe Thursday we could hear something? I donno. Until then, I have plenty of new music to check out so stay tuned.

2010 Initial Lineup... a bit of a letdown

I. am. Kinda Pissed. I took half a personal day for this??

I should say, for the record, that I didn't mind the lineup coming out one band every five minutes, because it allowed me to check out each and read/talk about them as they were announced. But that was when I thought we were building up to something big. To end 8 wasted hours of my life with a big "Stevie Wonder" is just cruel and unusual. I mean, I could have stayed at work and seen Dave Matthews Band within an hour of my lunch break and I would have been OK.

Would I have been as pissed if this same initial lineup had been released at midnight in poster form? Probably not. I want my time back.

I trusted Consequence of Sound. I thought "expected" meant these big acts - Neil Young, Paul Simon - were pretty much locks. I thought "Floyd-heavy year" wasn't just referring to the Flaming Lips. I see the site updated all their "expected" links to show where the bands themselves confirmed, but Neil is still blank.

I'm not saying there aren't bands I'm looking forward to, because there are, but this lineup lacks some serious oomph. I thought Bonnaroo was supposed to whomp some Coachella butt this year! Wasn't that the talk? This just isn't going to cut it guys.

To make matters worse, two of the 3 people going with me this year are downright disenchanted with the whole thing. I am too, to tell you the truth. I expected my mind to be blown, and what I got was a letdown after last year.

Lineup Watch 2010

With less than an hour to go before Feb. 9 (and my bedtime), I thought I'd prepare the ole' Bonnaroo Virgin blog for some heavy action tomorrow.

I'll be watching:

• Bonnaroo's MySpace
• Bonnaroo's Facebook
• Bonnaroo's Twitter
• Bonnaroo.com
• Inforoo
• Bonnaroo's Wikipedia page

... but you'll notice I'm relying pretty heavily on Twitter for my "reporting" (discussion and comments).

See the three Twitter feeds I have going in the right hand column of this site. The first one is me - my findings, my thoughts, etc. Feel free to comment here. The second one is a general Twitter search for the keyword "Bonnaroo." The third feed is one of my Twitter lists that comprises Roo fans, Inforooers, bands and other Bonnaroo contacts.

I'll be home sometime after noon, but I have some things to take care of around the house, so Twitter is the easiest method of communication for me being that it's mobile.

Yes, I am obsessed. So sue me.

One hour and 19 minutes to go until Feb. 9

David and I just got finished watching "Up" (which is very good, and sad, I might add) and we sat down in our office to a message at Bonnaroo.com to watch their MySpace for "a very special unveiling" on Feb. 9.

First thought, "MySpace. Really?!?!" Isn't MySpace on its way out? Why not Facebook or Twitter? Or even some sort of social aggregator on their home page? I guess I understand its MySpace Music capabilities, so I guess I'm just eager to find out how it's all going to go down.

Inforoo is in an uproar, because a lot of people will be at work and have that site blocked on their work computers. Fortunately, I think they'll be able to get the same info somehow at Bonnaroo.com (they must have thought ahead about the blocked work computer thing).

I will be in the office for about an hour or two, then I'll be in a meeting until noon, at which point my half day begins and I can catch the lineup bits at a time and take part in this "virtual event," which I first heard is happening from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (but their MySpace points to noon). That's not to say I won't be up at midnight just in case something leaks, but I won't stay up forever.

Expect updates from this blog. In fact, I'm going to import it into FB notes for the next few months!

Blues Traveler on Sunday?

Blues Traveler has added Bonnaroo on its Pollstar.com tour schedule.

Bonnaroo.com Redesign

So, Bonnaroo.com already had a new look, but it was wintery. This week, they unveiled a new, more colorful, more animated, and slightly cleaner version.

I think I like it. At the very least, I'm excited to see how they organize Tuesday's "virtual event" on it.

Visit the official site at http://www.bonnaroo.com

P.S. I guess I'm going to have to redesign my blog in a few weeks to match that more closely...

2010 Lineup due Feb. 9

I am slacking on the posts, since I knew this several days ago and am only getting around to posting now. I know. I'm sorry.

The Official 2010 Bonnaroo lineup is going to be announced via Bonnaroo.com and several social networking sites, a few at a time, throughout the day on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Consequence of Sound, which apparently, along with Inforoo, is my main source of info this year, has a lot of really big acts listed under "expected" on their festival outlook page - Jay Z, Dave Matthews Band, Neil Young, Paul Simon, etc. Roger Waters is on their rumored list and there has been mention of Paul McCartney, which I'm pretty sure would make my head explode. (Dave Matthews and a Beatle in the same place? HEAVEN!)

Wayne Coyne has already announced a late night Flaming Lips set featuring Lips tunes followed by a full Dark Side of the Moon set, which already makes this year an awesome one. I can't wait till Tuesday.

Feb. 2 was supposed to be a good day

So, it's 8:41 a.m. Feb. 2 and still no Bonnaroo lineup.

People have been saying it's been delayed - all the usual legit sources (people on Inforoo and CoS who have sources, I have no sources) - but I was hoping against hope that it would still drop. I guess until today's over there's no sense in giving up completely, but I have pretty much been grounded for the time being.

The good news is, Oscar nominees and the Lost Season 5 premier are still on. So boo-yah.

(If it doesn't come out today, here's hopin' for Feb. 9. I have seen rumors, nothing set in stone, but I'm hoping those rumors come true because if I have to wait longer than another friggin' week...)

Inforoo is going crazy, as am I

For one, Consequence of Sound noted earlier that the official Bonnaroo lineup would drop Feb. 2 - but now the article is apparently missing and a writer from there (Alex) is saying it might, and it might not. If it doesn't come out Feb. 2, I don't know how much longer I will last. I'm having enough trouble making it until then.

Everyone on Inforoo is going crazy, myself included. Although it looks like Dave Matthews Band will be there (yay!), and CoS is now saying Jay-Z is expected, a lot of other big names (and most of the undercard) are up in the air.

With a serious lack of solid rumors and confirmations, on top of sites reporting airline's wish list as a leaked lineup, all sorts of people on the message board are "leaking" their own Bonnaroo lineups and/or claiming they have the real one. It's hard to sort out the truth from the b.s. If you ask me, the ones who really have it, if anyone, are the ones who are keeping their mouths shut or being subtle about it, not the ones arguing to save their non-existent credibility. I will remain skeptical until the real thing is unleashed on the public for all to see, at which point I will submerge myself into music from this year's lineup and continue to pump myself up for this summer at the farm.

P.S. Justin's redone his lineup, which is neither fantasy nor fact but a list of pretty good guesses about who might be at 'Roo this year, and will share it with David and I tonight after volleyball. We're going to see how many he gets right this year. The thing about his lineup is that he's not claiming to have any inside track or that he knows for a fact anything will happen, but he's not a bad guesser. Might bring up some interesting conversation in any event.

Could DMB be on the farm this year?

So someone posted on Inforoo that Dave Matthews Band had released their summer tour, so I had to see for myself.

They play on 6/8/2010 in Maryland then again on 6/15/2010 in Ohio. That's a good 7-day gap in which Bonnaroo fits completely. Coincidence? I think not.

I hope not.

Anxiously awaiting...

Some sort of lineup announcement. I'm sick of no good rumors. :(